Street or station indicator.



v @MW 110.876,80... :PATBNTED JAN. "14, 190s. P. M. HIGGINS L L. n.HARMES.

STREET OR STATION INDICATOR.

rPLIuATIoN .1 1906. A FILED 00T zsusETs-BHEBT- 1.

1HE NonRls PETERS ca.l wAsHlN-GTUN, D. c.

No. 878,808. PATENTED JAN.14, 1908.

P. M. HIGGINS & L. D. HARMES. STREET 0R STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.1, 1906.

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UNITED STATES rATnN onnron.

FOLKl MADERSON HIGGINS AND LEE DOLPHIA HARMES, OF HOIISTON, TEXAS.

STREET OR STATION INDICATOR.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application filed October l. 1906. Serial No. 337.016.`

dicator mechanism is automatically actuated at the desired points on theline or route by the temporary energizing of an electro-magnet. rlhemain object is to provide an indicator of simple and practicablemechanism and eflicient operation.

An exemplification of the 'invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, which are to be taken as a part of this specication. Withoutessentially restricting ourselves to the speciiic construction shown,the invention will hereinafter be fully described by reference to saiddrawings, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In said drawings: Figure l is a side view ofthe apparatus, with a sideof the casing broken away to reveal the interior mechanism. Fig. 2 is afront view of the apparatus, with a portion of the casing broken away toshow the mechanism. Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of the supply-spoolC and mechanism for rewinding the tape, the surrounding casing beingshown in section. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of a portion of themechanism. Fig. 5 is a detail diagrammatic view of a trolley-lineconnection for automatically energizing the controlling magnet.

As shown in the drawings, the mechanism of the apparatus is inclosed bya suitable case or cover denoted by the lever A. The apparatus isintended to be mounted in the front of a car, or on the inside of thefront wall of the car, and the names of the different streets orstations, printed upon a tape or strip B, are successively displayedthrough an opening a in the front of the case. In operation, said tapeB, wound upon a supplyspool C, unwinds therefrom step-by-step orintermittently and passes said opening a and winds onto a take-up drumD; the ends of said tape being respectively fastened to the perimetersof said spool and drum.l Both drums C and D are arranged between theside-membersl of an appropriate supporting frame E, the axles orspindles of said drums being journaled or mounted on said sidemembers.

The drum D is actuated to wind the tape thereonto by movement of a leverF, carry- -ing a pivoted dog or pawl G which engages the externaltoothed or notched rim of a ratchet or ratchet-wheel H, the latter beingshown attached to the side of the drum. Said pawl G, pivoted to saidlever at g, is yieldingly held in engagement with the ratchet-wheel by aspring g; and movement of said pawl away from the ratchet-wheel islimited by a stop g2, the latter being also carried by the lever F. Saidlever F is pivotally attached at f to the frame E, and is normally heldby a spring f against a iixed stop or abutment f2, which latter may be astud or projection on the frame E. In this normal position of the lever(indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4) the pawl G is in engagement withone of the external notches or teeth 0f the ratchet, and by a singlemotion of the lever (from the dotted line position to the full. lineposition indicated in Fig. 4) the ratchet-wheel will be turned therebyfor a distance corresponding to the interval between two adjacentratchet-teeth or notches. Further motion of the ratchet-wheel is limitedby means of a detent J engaging the inside rim of the ratchet-wheel, theinside teeth or notches thereof being spaced similarly but facingoppositely to the outside teeth or notches. Said detent J is shownpivoted at to the frame E, and is normally held out of engagement withthe ratchet-wheel by a spring j', but at each advance or positivemovement of the lever F a lug or projection jz on said lever engages aroller ja on said detent and thereby forces the latter into engagementwith the ratchet. It will thus kbe seen that the detent J will preventthe drum D from turning more than one step under the im ulse or motionimparted by the lever F, a though said detent will not interfere withthe step-bystep turn of the drum since it is withdrawn from theratchet-wheel by its spring j as soon as the lever F makes a reversemovement or returns to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4.

At the desired periods for operating the indicator, the lever F isautomatically actuated by means of an electro-magnet K, which becomestemporarily energized. Said magnet,

acting on the soft ironor armature f3 of said lever, draws the levertheretov or against the end of the core 7c of the magnet; but as soon asthe magnet becomes demagnetized, said lever instantly returns, underforce of its spring f, vto its normal position against the stop f2.' Themagnet K is shown mounted on the side of the frame E. For energizingsaid magnet, circuit-wires 7c and k2 lead therefrom and constitute partsof a normallyopen electrical circuit, which becomes automatically closedtemporarily at the desired points on the line or route where it isdesired to display the name of the coming street or station. In thisconnection, where the apparatus is in use on a trolley-car, the saidWires k and k2 may lead to a transformer, and thence one wire may be inelectrical connection with the wheel of the car which comes in contactwith the ground, while the other Wire may be in electrical connectionwith a suitable attachment on the trolley adapted to intermittentlycontact with the trolley-Wire or with the lieed-wire or with a branchfrom the trolley-wire, at the point on the line Where the indicatorshould be operated. For example, said wire may be carried through thetrolley-pole and connect with a miniature or auxiliary trolley, thelatter being supported by but normally insulated from the main trolley;'and such miniaturel or auxiliary trolley may contact with an extensionor branch from the main trolleywire, such branches being provided atproper places on the line or route to operate the indicator. Thiscontrivance is diagrammatically represented in Fig. 5, where L indicatesthe main trolley-wire, and Z a short branch extension therefrom; and Mis the main trolley contacting with the wire L and carrying thelauxiliary trolley- N which contacts with the .extension Z. The branchconnection from the main trolley wire need be only of such length as toobtain a sulicient amount oi'lpower for the draw-magnet to draw thelever thereto and then release the lever, since this motion will actuatethe apparatus to the extent of moving the tape one step and therebydisplaying the name of the coming street or station.

In order to attract the attention oi the passengers When the comingstreet is indicated, the mechanism desirably actuates a gong or bell.For this purpose, a gong or bell O is shown supported by an extension orarm of the frame E, said bell being in position to be struck by a hammeror head 0 at the end of the lever F when the latter is retracted to itsnormal position. I

From the foregoing, it will be observed y that the operation is asfollows: As the car approaches a street or station, the magnet K isautomatically energized by the means or instrumentality provided forthat purpose,

Athereby drawing the leverF from its normal position and'causingl thepawl to turn the ratchet-wheel H one step, movement of the coming streetor station through the opening a in the case. As soon as the magnetbecomes demagnetized, the lever F returns to its normal position,carrying the dog or pawl G back to engagement with the next notch of theratchet-wheel, ready for the next operation; the detent J being releasedfrom the ratchet by the withdrawal of the lever, and the gong O beingsounded as the lever retracts. Thus each operation is eiiected by thetemporary energizing of the magnet.

Provision is made for rewinding the tape onto the spool C when thecircuit of the car is ended, and the car starts over vthe route a secondtime. For this purpose, the axle of the spool C is shown provided with apinion c in mesh with a gear c, the latter having a stub-shaft c2adapted to be interlocked or engaged by the shaft p of a detachablelcrank P. In attaching the crank P on said stubshaft, a flange p1 carriedby said crank bears upon a lever Q and thereby pulls accrd or string gwhich is guided through suitable eyes on ythe frame E and lever F to theback oi the latter at g2, so that the effect of attaching the crank P torewind the tape is to disconnect the pawl G from the ratchet-wheel H andallow the tape to be rewound. After rewinding, the crank P istaken 01T,and the indicator is ready for another circuit.

We claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States:

\ '1. A street or station indicator for cars comprising, in combination,a case having a display-opening, a tape bearing the names of streets orstations which are successively displayed therethrough, a supply-spooland a take-up drum in said case, the tape adapted to wind onto said drumfrom said spool, a ratchet-wheel on said drum, a lever arranged besidesaid drum and carrying a spring-actuated pawl engaging saidratchet-wheel, said lever being spring-held in normal position, and anelectro-magnet mounted beside said drum and adapted to be temporarilyenergized for operating said lever to elect pawl G, being attached tothe gf,

an intermittent motion of said drum, the

comprising, in combination, a case having a display-opening, a tapebearing the names of streets or stations which are successivelydisplayed therethrough, a supply-spool and a take-up drum in said case,the tape adapted to wind onto said drum from said spool, a ratchet-wheelon said drum, a lever arranged beside said drum and carrying aspring-actuated pawl engaging said ratchet-wheel, said lever beingspring-held in normal position, and an electro-magnet mounted besidesaid drum and adapted to be temporarily energized for operating saidlever to eHect an in termittent motion of said drum, the lever beingdrawnby said magnet when energized, a detachable crank for operatingsaid spool to rewind said tape thereon, said crank having a flange, anda lever and a cord connecting said lever with said pawl, said leveradapted to be engaged by said ange when said crank is applied andthereby operated to pull said cord and disengage said pawl from saidratchet-wheel.

3. vln a street or station indicator for cars, the combination with aname-bearing medium adapted to be intermittently moved for successivelydisplaying the names thereon, of an actuating mechanism thereforcomprising a ratchet-wheel having internal and external teeth or notchesoppositely faced, a

lever mounted beside said ratchet-wheel car-y rying a spring-actuatedpawl engaging said ratchet-wheel on one rim, means holding said lever innormal position, an electro-magnet adapted to be temporarily energizedfor drawing said lever thereto, whereby an operation ofsaidratchet-wheel is effected, a spring-retracted detent normally out ofengagement with but adapted to engage the other rim of saidratchet-wheel, and means whereby said detent is moved into engagementwith said ratchet-wheel by said lever when drawn by said magnet.

POLK MADERSON HIGGINS. LEE DOLPHIA HARMES. Witnesses:

T. BELDEN, M. E. WoRsHAM.

